CHINA

Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both down 0.1 percent, while Dow Jones futures were up 0.2 percent at 6:28 a.m. ET.

China's annual inflation spiked to a consensus-busting 4.5 percent in January as spending jumped during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday season, breaking a five-month softening trend and forcing a market rethink of policy easing expectations.

Gold edged up along with crude oil and the euro on expectations the Greek prime minister's presence in Brussels Thursday signals a likelihood his nation will receive desperately needed bailout money.

European stock markets and the euro extended two months of gains on Thursday as Greece edged closer to a bailout deal and investors bet a brace of central bank meetings would offer further support for the move into riskier assets.

The rally in the euro and European shares advanced on Thursday as Greece edged closer to a bailout deal and on expectations the Bank of England and the European Central Bank will maintain support for the move into riskier assets.

China's stock market improvement could be jeopardized by a higher than expected inflation reading for January.

More than three quarters of U.S. company bosses think that the federal government did not do its part to effectively deal with the implications of the global economic crisis.

Asian shares struggled but the euro recovered on Thursday, as markets were left without a clear direction after Greek political leaders failed again to conclude a deal for a bailout package, which Athens needs to avoid a messy debt default.

China's Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's No.2 PC maker, plans to sell smart televisions in China and has no immediate plans to ship overseas due to a lack of content, CEO Yang Yuanqing said on Thursday.

China's annual inflation spiked to a consensus-busting 4.5 percent in January as spending jumped during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday season, breaking a five-month softening trend and forcing a market rethink of policy easing expectations.

China's annual inflation rate hit 4.5 percent in January, which is the highest level in three months, according to the official data released Thursday.

Asian shares and the euro struggled Thursday, as sentiment grew cautious after Greek political leaders failed to conclude a deal for a bailout package crucial to avoiding a messy debt default.

'Friends of Democratic Syria' would look at tightening sanctions on Syrian government and getting humanitarian aid through.

Armoured reinforcements poured into Homs as President Bashar al-Assad's forces bombarded the rebellious Syrian city for a fourth day, opposition sources said Thursday, worsening the dire humanitarian situation and prompting a new diplomatic push from Turkey.

Japan's Nikkei average eased from a three-month high to trade below 9,000 Thursday amid uncertainty over the outcome of the Greek bailout talks.

U.S. prosecutors expanded a criminal case over the alleged theft of industrial secrets from chemical giant DuPont , securing an indictment against a Chinese company on economic espionage-related charges.

Leading Syrian opposition leaders have Turkish support and many of these exiles are based in Turkey.

Ralph Lauren Corp reported better-than-expected results for the holiday quarter, helped by double-digit sales growth at its own stores as well as increased sales to department stores, and the clothing maker raised its margin forecast.

U.S. prosecutors secured an indictment against a Chinese company for conspiracy to commit economic espionage and other charges in a widening case over the alleged theft of industrial secrets from chemical giant DuPont.

Social media chatter erupted after former NBA Star Steve Francis was shown on screen in the audience of a basketball game, with fans shocked about how old he looked.

A former police chief of a major Chinese city was reportedly seeking asylum in the United States after fighting with one of China's most powerful politicians.